Southern Justice: Gulf Oil Disaster as Payback

When a disaster happens in a “liberal” state or city, former Republican candidate for President Pat Robertson likes to blame “sinners” and claim they’re being punished by God for being gay, progressive, and/or Democrat.

Nonsense, Pat. However, in a way he’s right: Gulf states are getting exactly what they asked for when they helped elect two oil men to the White House.

As black death wraps around Florida and heads up the coast and the ocean turns toxic, my heart goes out to all of the dying, dead, or ill-affected creatures who didn’t vote for the BP oil disaster. I feel for the fifty percent of Florida who didn’t vote for Bush/Cheney, and even for the poor suckers who thought they were helping to elect people other than what they got. Everyone in the “Red” states along the Gulf ask yourselves, would you trade eight years of Big Oil running the country in return for your Gulf back?

Back in 2000 and 2004, voters faced a clear choice, and because enough of them didn’t foresee the consequences of the policies pushed by Bush, the oil industry shed those pesky regulations and pretended like a disaster would never happen. And if God forbid it did, like BP said, the ocean is big and a few hundred billion gallons of oil is a drop in the bucket.

Bush campaigned on being an opponent of regulations like the type that prevent ecological catastrophes, and sold the general public on his supposed innate goodness (compassionate conservative) to settle fears about the potential consequences of allowing corporate America to run amok. Basically, the mantra was “trust George, he’s a good God-fearin’ Texan and wouldn’t screw you over, America.”

Fairy tales. The Bush campaign sold us lies and fairy tales from the beginning. Now the Gulf is paying the price.

Which brings me back to my point: It’s sure ironic that Deep South states are sodden in BP oil, because the voters there essentially elected the people who caused the problem. Disagree? Then do you think that better fail-safe devices would have been required on oil rigs if Al Gore had had eight years to make America green? It’s a proven fact that the Cheney energy task force killed the requirement for fail-safe devices, to save their oil industry buddies $500,000 a pop. Spend hundreds of millions building and running a rig like the Horizon, then make billions from extracting oil, but no, we’ll assume that disasters never happen. No need for extra protection.

So Louisiana and oil-lovin’ Governor Bobby Jindal, when you look out over your sickly brown waters, remember that this is exactly what you asked for; don’t pretend otherwise. The so-called liberals screamed for years about Cheney’s secret deals with the oil industry and the need for renewable energy, but your ears were deaf.

Florida, when Jeb greased the wheels to elect his brother to the White House and Republican operatives stormed the election recount, you played along. I’m sorry that you really voted for Al and want your white beaches back, but look at it this way: At least it’s not 2004, when four hurricanes crossed your state. So devastated by November, you can’t be blamed for being suckered again.

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Alabama, same goes for your state. Mississippi too: You had some really beautiful coastline, really did, and it’s a shame to see it destroyed. A shame to see your fishing industry wrecked and tourism plummet and oil raining from the sky. And it’s a shame that you voted for the men who are the most responsible – and continue to elect brown-nosers like Haley Barbour. What has he ever really done for you other than cause grief, suffering and shame?

The absolute tragedy that the deep South is experiencing is so loaded with sad irony, it can only be an act of God.

Now if the oil reaches South Carolina and can somehow leap out of the ocean to tar Tennessee, Arkansas, and maybe Virginia Beach, where Pat Robertson is headquartered….

I feel sorry for you and for the sea creatures, despite my sarcasm. Next election, take heed of the obvious, please.

1 Response

For once I would have to agree with you. I am glad you brought it my attention. I have been hearing on CNBC that there has not been a major oil drilling disaster in 20 years. That our technology has made such things very improbable these days. That the need for reducing our dependence on foreign oil outweighs the opposition to domestic drilling. I guess we have all learned a lesson the hard way.